What Do You Actually Do for Work?

activ8newbs on 10/09/2019 - 16:39
Last edited 10/09/2019 - 17:42

Hello all,

Currently finding myself in a position for where I feel "stuck" in the corporate world.

Purpose of this post is to find out what other roles are out there, and just spark dialogue RE: different professions.

Without the fluff, and without trying to sell your job, knowing this is an anonymous forum and you've no pride to protect, what really is your job…what does it require you to do? And if you're comfortable disclosing, roughly what do you earn?

I feel like when I ask my colleagues/friends/network, they're all always hyping up their role in an attempt to "sell" how happy they are.

I'll kick us off - I work as an Auditor at a B4 firm. My job requires me to go on-site to where my clients are located, to "test" their financial statements. i.e. The annual report that they release each year, and the numbers within it…their integrity is the responsibility of my team.

It involves a lot of reperforming, and recalculating what the client has calculated. i.e. if they say they have a couple hundred mil in a bank account, we call their bank/s and double check that the balance is indeed correct.

It's a pretty boring job because it's pretty repetitive. Plenty of menial/robot-like work.

What about you?

Edit: me, $60-$70k approx

Thanks

Education & Work

Comments

  • steeevo on 11/09/2019 - 15:01
    +6

    Role: business development manager (really an in house strategy and M&a role)
    Pay: ~195k inc. super plus bonus
    Background: BIG4 accounting firm for 6.5yrs, half of which was in Transaction Services). Left just before getting Senior Manager / Associate Director to go in house, been here 4ish years now.

    What do I do all day? Really varies.

    If we are doing m&a there is a lot of time spent in excel doing data analysis, scenario modelling, funding analysis, etc. Lots of that thankfully gets outsourced to investment banks.

    While you have your annual strategic review process, everything is very project based so lots of variety in it. Varies from doing detailed reviews of operating businesses and meeting with various people in the business to plan that out to reviewing business cases for investments, etc.

    If at all possible, I strongly suggest trying to second into something more consulting based and out of audit. Even since I left the BIG4 have improved their management consulting offerings, but must admit I'd prefer to be somewhere that you are the big fish in the market (e.g. transaction services doing FDD) rather than management consulting where lots in industry still view the BIG4 as mid-tier service offerings

    • activ8newbs on 11/09/2019 - 15:25

      Steeevo,

      Thanks for sharing - this is brilliant.

      This is a kind of role I haven't thought much about, however, now that I do think about, I'm confident it aligns very nicely with some of my core competencies.

      Do you mind answering a few questions, pls? (Happy to chat via PM, if you could accommodate that)

      • What's your education?
      • what skills make a good bdm?
      • how important is sales in your role? I've been lucky enough to be the recipient of some incredible sales training, role modelling best practices in a prev. role
      • who are the big players in this industry? Are there any multinational corps in this space here, or merely a pivotal function of ops and business development in some orgs? i.e. which employers should I be targeting?
      • how do you suggest someone of my career history, work towards a BDM/M&A Advisory/consulting position similar to yours

      Thanks a tonne in advance!

      • Homr on 12/09/2019 - 13:22

        Big players will be companies that are in the ASX50 or ASX100

        most of those companies will have an in house analyst there of some sort.

      • steeevo on 12/09/2019 - 19:35

        Sent a PM. Agree with other comment that it is most asx100 will have one. Also some larger private companies.

    • Homr on 12/09/2019 - 13:20

      Hey Steevo,

      I'm looking to transition from my traditional accounting role to FP&A. What's the pay like for a FP&A Analyst?

      I have a real keen interest in excel and lately I've been making dashboards, doing graphs and stuff for my colleagues at work and they are pretty impress with it and I'm starting to think I finally found something that I really enjoy doing.

      Is it easy going from accounting to FP&A? Is CPA required? Any advice on how to start making the transition.

      Thanks in advance, much appreciated.

      • steeevo on 12/09/2019 - 19:43

        Not sure to be honest, at least in my organisation FP&A is something different. You do more BAU budgeting, forecasting and monthly performance analysis. Totally different team.

        I believe the people in that team are generally qualified, though most senior people I know in finance don't really rate CPA, only CA (in an Australian context).

        As to how to move in general, I've always found that a productive conversation with my manager works wonders. People seem to stress about it a lot and maybe I've just been lucky / valued, but if you can't have that conversation about how you want your career to develop then personally I think you really need to question whether you should look for a job elsewhere anyway.

      • steeevo on 12/09/2019 - 21:55

        One thought that has occurred to me is that if you like doing graphs and things, you could look at data analytics teams at the BIG4? They spend a lot of time working out clever ways to cut and dice raw data to make it meaningful and pretty to look at.

        • Homr on 12/09/2019 - 22:10

          I certainly have an interest in that, making up stories from numbers :). I just came to realise that alot of people just get totally overwhelmed when reading a wall of numbers E.g P&Ls. Do you know how much they pay for those roles in a Big4? Or even in Corporate?

          • steeevo on 13/09/2019 - 07:31

            @Homr: I assume BIG4 is in line with their standard pay by grade. Grad at around 60k, senior consultant around 80k, manager a bit over 100k, etc.

            Those websites that do salary surveys should get some good insight into that sort of thing.

            • Homr on 13/09/2019 - 07:54

              @steeevo: I'm currently between Senior Consultant and Manager atm. Would it be reasonable to pay an analyst $110K?

    • PyroCoconut on 12/09/2019 - 15:22

      Do you feel like your earning potential is lower than what it would've been if you had stuck it out at the B4 firm for another 4 years or longer?

      • steeevo on 12/09/2019 - 19:53
        +1

        Only if I had made partner, which is always a big maybe.

        In 6ish years at BIG4 I went from 58k to ~110k. Jumping to corporate I moved up to ~170k base. In ~4 years at corporate that grew to ~195k base and, as of today where I have just received a promo into a different role in the business, 210-220k plus bonus (yay). I beleieve I'm now on more than director pay at BIG4, yet would only just be hitting director now if I were to have remained in BIG4.

        Real question is growth from here. Jobs in corporates that pay that we'll aren't that common.

        Also once you leave BIG4 you need to accept that your path is a bit more fluid. For me, getting a more operational role (as I now have) is important as I feel like I need that to aim for the CEO type roles. Most businesses don't like a CEO who hasn't had to actually run a business, and nobody will trust me to run a business until I have had P&L responsibility.

        • Homr on 12/09/2019 - 20:06

          How old are you sir?

        • PyroCoconut on 13/09/2019 - 13:26

          Congrats on the promo!

          Yeah money at B4 is only worth it if you make it to the top. But wouldn't making a CEO of equivalent position be just as hard, if not harder?

          It's almost easier to just stay at the B4 as your career path is a lot clearer. I assume you have a better work life balance at your firm though.

    • Calcifer on 31/01/2021 - 01:14

      What kinds of products or services are you a BDM for?

  • jdee87 on 11/09/2019 - 15:13

    Without giving too much away, one of my roles falls somewhere along the process detailed here. Tedious, but necessary (for the company at least) to address redundancies and have a smooth-sailing transition. I wish I could make a business out of one of my passions, but that is for another thread.

  • Froot Loops on 11/09/2019 - 15:28
    +4

    Legal Drug Dealer. Pay is shocking low and people have zero respect for you. Wouldn't recommended anything health care related apart from Dentist. Regret not becoming a train driver and earning an extra $50k a year

    • imurgod on 11/09/2019 - 18:53

      That's funny, I thought chemists were well paid. I have 2 friends who own their own pharmacies and make an absolute bucketload!

      • DonWilson on 11/09/2019 - 19:17
        +2

        They were well paid. That started changing about 25 years ago.

      • Froot Loops on 12/09/2019 - 01:46

        Ownership pays well, but you need a lot of cash to buy a pharmacy nowadays. New laws mean we cannot open a new pharmacy within 5km of an existing pharmacy without their permission.

        • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 06:42
          +1

          Wow, I didn't know that. That's pretty anti competitive.

          Oh well, at least you get the good drugs I suppose.

  • Ravensbane on 11/09/2019 - 15:51
    +4

    Stay at home dad to 3 young children. Sometimes makes me miss the days of back breaking work in a sawmill and even pushing trolleys on 40oC+ days in the middle of summer or freezing cold raining days in winter.. Other days I love it.

    Pay is shit :(

    • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 15:53

      Nothing beats being around while your kids grow up. You are a lucky man, sir.
      You can't buy back that time.

      • [Deactivated] on 14/09/2019 - 18:14
        -2

        I want to sell drugs but I can't I live near a police station no really and they would smell it.

      • Ravensbane on 14/09/2019 - 19:34
        +1

        Yeah for that I am thankful.

    • MessyG on 12/09/2019 - 20:46

      Cuddles are top notch though I hope

      • Ravensbane on 14/09/2019 - 19:35
        +1

        They really are. When our 2 1/2 yr old comes out into the kitchen at 5am and sees me he yells "daggy!" Runs up and gives me a kiss and long cuddle. The best.

  • Stripes on 11/09/2019 - 17:42

    I'm a guitar teacher at primary schools. Hours are 8.30-3.30 with a small amount of outside school hours work (printing, invoicing, learning songs, practicing). $30 per half hour lesson.

    Hard to get a position and you kinda already have to know how to play fairly well, which takes a long time. It's also working with kids which is interesting..

  • OG Puppy Banana on 11/09/2019 - 17:44

    I work as a strategy consultant and do so exclusively through my own company.

    I mostly focus on re-baselining large but socially irrelevant IT strategies (all my clients have over $100M in revenue). I may also be on-site for a few weeks/months to help plan out future IT investments and I may also lend some capacity for remediation work for firms who have made bad investments.

    I may also do some customer experience work, benefits realisation and market scan pieces as it's pretty easy, not mentally taxing and usually leads to more work as the output of realisation or the scan requires more care.

    Broadly, there is a bit of quant, but most of the work is in relationships, IT architecture and strategic planning, analysis and advisory. I find the business development the least fun bit.

    I'm pretty bored with it and looking for a challenge. I'm thinking about building a product and trying my hand in that space. Could fail quickly and I'm back to strategy consulting.

    Earnings - Strategy money.

    • activ8newbs on 11/09/2019 - 18:23

      This.

      This is brilliant. I have a (senior) friend of mine who is doing something somewhat similar. Started in banking and now running his own strat consulting co.

      What will it take for you to do an AMA? My brain is exploding with questions I'd like to ask.

      • OG Puppy Banana on 11/09/2019 - 22:35
        +1

        PM me with questions if you like.

  • Abang Tukang Bakso on 11/09/2019 - 17:53
    +1

    construction material testing (CMT)
    55k+ a year annually.. 80k+ with overtime
    i do some soil/aggregrate/concrete investigation/testing both onsite and in lab
    no qualification required,
    starting salary with no experience usually 40k

    pretty easy job, repetative only in the lab. on the field could be challanging sometimes if youre new (had to deal with clients) but overall its a non stressful environment

    this job is usually for underachievers, smart but lazy

  • Pantagonist on 11/09/2019 - 18:14
    +1

    What do I actually do?

    Probably spend most of my time feeding the capitalist meat grinder while pretending that I'm not just fiddling while Rome is burning.

    Salary approximately 70K.

    That was what you were after, right?

    • [Deactivated] on 14/09/2019 - 18:15
      -2

      Centrelink better

  • T1OOO on 11/09/2019 - 18:38

    Sigh I almost don’t wona pst this but it might be useful to a hand full.

    Software dev in a start up. After 6 months - see my other thread I wanted to leave. Company nearly collapsed due to the incompetent other guy. I was runing it on my own and re negotiated my package. Got about $200k more so package is around $450k pa. We hired 3 more people and it’s better. My health took a hit, I got really sick as a result of this. I’ve learned a lot in my time there and it’s been interesting. I hope to retire on a good wicket. The company has quadrupled in customer base in the last 6 months that it took 4-5 years to get so definitely busy and good.

    • Pantagonist on 11/09/2019 - 19:22

      So you're like the richest person in Adelaide now?

      • T1OOO on 11/09/2019 - 19:39

        Mate, I can buy Adelaide now!

        • Pantagonist on 11/09/2019 - 19:47

          Why settle for being the biggest fish in a tiny pond?

          Sounds to me like you need to move to Port Lincoln. It's not too far up the road.

          • T1OOO on 11/09/2019 - 19:51

            @Pantagonist: I’m in Sydney now.

            • Pantagonist on 11/09/2019 - 19:59

              @T1OOO: Your profile location still says Adelaide.

              • T1OOO on 12/09/2019 - 06:46

                @Pantagonist: I’m lazy to update it. If I haven’t most my postal addresses I’m not gona this.

  • imurgod on 11/09/2019 - 18:49

    Edit: Decided I'm not comfortable sharing the info, but also realised I get paid a huge amount and I don't work that hard (I only do what I like to do).

    • Pantagonist on 11/09/2019 - 19:21
      -1

      I only do what I like to do

      It takes all sorts to keep the system afloat.

      Critical to its survival are those that can look at themselves in the mirror and feel happy that they're selling people products that a majority of people will never receive any benefit from.

      Kudos, I guess?

      • imurgod on 11/09/2019 - 21:35

        I don't sell people anything.

        I have the luxury of only doing what I like to do because I have people to delegate the other stuff to.

        • blitz on 11/09/2019 - 23:32
          +1

          I have the luxury of only doing what I like to do because I have people to delegate the other stuff to.

          Are you a shopping mall Santa?

        • Pantagonist on 12/09/2019 - 08:20
          -1

          I don't sell people anything.

          I suppose you're right, in the same way that a pimp doesn't sell sex.

          I have the luxury of only doing what I like to do because I have people to delegate the other stuff to.

          So your job is actually terrible but you enjoy it because you don't have to do most of it?

          • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 15:38
            -5

            @Pantagonist:

            I suppose you're right, in the same way that a pimp doesn't sell sex.

            Are you asking me for a job? You've really misread things.

            I can't say I understand your combative attitude toward me. I don't recall saying anything to offend you, but I get that it's tall poppy syndrome.

            Maybe you're upset that my car alone is worth more than twice your annual gross salary let alone my appreciating assets and investments, maybe you were never loved as a child, maybe it's Maybelline. All I know is that being an lazy, angry little troll isn't going to better your position.

            • Pantagonist on 12/09/2019 - 16:41
              +3

              @imurgod: Wow,that escalated quickly.

              I just found it funny that you suddenly got all coy about sharing your salary and industry when your previous post laid it all out in unabashed detail.

              At least it only took two subsequent posts to reveal that your evaluation of people's worth in purely monetary terms appears to be a good fit for the industry you're employed in.

              • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 16:59

                @Pantagonist: Well, to be fair, it was you that decided to become the a-hole from the outset. How did you expect me to react?

                It took literally 1 post to reveal that you immediately begin to troll someone you know nothing about and despite not having any idea what I do. You're just upset that you've amounted to nothing in your life and I'm successful. I get it.

                Honestly I'd happily help you out since we're in the ACT as well, but somehow I suspect that it's your bubbly personality that's at least a part of what's held you back in life and I can't fix that.

                My evaluation of you was as flattering as I could be and it's factual. Would you prefer I evaluated your lovely personality?

                One day you'll come to the realisation that it can't be everyone else it the world to blame, it has to be you.

                • Pantagonist on 12/09/2019 - 17:07

                  @imurgod:

                  Would you prefer I evaluated your lovely personality?

                  Go nuts, you've obviously got something to get off your chest.

                  It must drive you crazy that just because you say something is the truth and factual, it doesn't actually make it the case.

                  • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 17:10
                    -1

                    @Pantagonist: I'm nobody to evaluate you. It's you that has to wake up and look in the mirror everyday.

                    I'm just glad I'm not you.

                    And FWIW, you can't change the facts. That's what makes it fact.

                    Enjoy your awesome life, high achiever.

                    • Pantagonist on 12/09/2019 - 18:00

                      @imurgod:

                      I'm nobody to evaluate you.

                      But you offered?

                      And FWIW, you can't change the facts. That's what makes it fact.

                      What facts are we talking about here?

                      Me being jealous of your car? I can't see how when so don't even know what you drive.

                      Not loved as a child? My parents would most likely beg to differ.

                      Maybelline? It's a makeup brand, and probably the closest you've come to posting a fact.

                      My replies to you have been based on your original post, which I won't paraphrase out of respect for your need for privacy after the fact. We both know what it said though.

                      • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 19:17

                        @Pantagonist: Maybe I removed it for a specific reason.

                        Ever think of that in your blind troll rage?

                        It said nothing bad at all. I removed it because I felt that it might make people who aren't as fortunate as I am, feel bad (considering R U OK and all).

                        I obviously triggered you for some unknown reason. You simply decided that because I'm successful, I must be a pimp and you should sink to getting personal.

                        Despite your attempt, I'm still successful, I'm still happy, I'm still surrounded by love and positivity and your furious keyboard warrior typing has had no effect on that.

                        Before we leave this, please enlighten me; what upset you so much to make you decide to start this futile exchange?

                        • Pantagonist on 12/09/2019 - 19:32

                          @imurgod:

                          You simply decided that because I'm successful, I must be a pimp and you should sink to getting personal.

                          That's a comprehension fail on your part. I said that saying insurance brokers don't sell insurance is the same as saying pimps don't sell sex. Understand now? It's all just brokerage, right?

                          I told you why I responded. Let's see if you can find it in what I've written.

                          • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 19:51

                            @Pantagonist: Oh I comprehended just perfectly.

                            You obviously know nothing about what brokers do.

                            That's like saying accountants simply do tax returns.

                            Even if it was all we did, why would it bother you so much? You don't buy any insurance?

                            • Pantagonist on 12/09/2019 - 20:29

                              @imurgod: If you can find where I wrote "you're successful so you must be a pimp" or words to that effect, feel free to link it. From my side that's very different from what I actually wrote, hence why I believed it was a comprehension fail.

                              I'm very aware of what brokers do. They insert themselves into a transaction between a buyer and a seller and create wealth by exploiting the laziness of the former, whether that be through doing all the policy research for them or handling their claims.

                              As I've said, the reason why I replied was due to the humour that I derived from the contrast between the not-so-humblebrag tone of your original post followed up with the contrition of what exists now. Nothing more.

                              Don't worry. Everyone is super impressed with your car and the size of your investment portfolio. Trust me. You've won at life and are certainly better than people who make less money than you.

                              • imurgod on 12/09/2019 - 22:03

                                @Pantagonist: So you don't know what we do. Glad you showed your ignorance.

                                Please enlighten me, where exactly would a fleet of 4000 heavy vehicles be placed by someone who wasn't lazy enough to use a broker? Tell me what risks they face.

                                Maybe you can tell us how you'd place professional indemnity for someone who builds railway signal electronics… Or ensure the cover matches their government contract obligations?

                                What if you have someone manufacturing coaches in Dubai or Japan… Where do they go to sort cover out?

                                You should do an AMA thread. You could call it "I don't know anything but I think I do AMA"

                                Yeah, you don't know Jack. Even people who use a broker for home or car insurance get better cover and pricing, but of course you knew that. You knew that no direct insurance policy can match what's available through a broker, didn't you?

                                I also admire your ability to deflect and never answer direct questions. But, again, not surprised.

                                I never wanted anyone to be impressed with what I've built, which is, again, why I removed my original post. I do know, however, that it upsets you and you're blaming it on me as if my hard work getting here is somehow the reason you amounted to the important success you quite clearly are.

                                It's not new and you're not special. It's common for failures to not understand success or more importantly, what it takes be successful…. No, no, it's far easier to cut people down or say they were lucky. "Everyone gets all the breaks except me waaaaa!"

                                I think we both realise that you're out of your league here. You wanted to sound like the intelligent big boy, but you only showed how pathetic and jealous you are.

                                Since you've painted yourself into a corner, I'll help you save a bit of face here…..

                                I apologise for my success somehow making you a failure.

                                There, happy?

                                • Pantagonist on 12/09/2019 - 22:50

                                  @imurgod: The more words you write, the more convinced I am that you're so comfortable in your position that you don't feel you have to justify yourself to anonymous people on the internet.

                                  Wait, what?

  • blackorange on 11/09/2019 - 18:57
    +8

    I know this has nothing to do with your work but since you asked..
    I'm a doctor in an intensive care unit. My job involves
    * helping people get better from their illness
    * prolonging the suffering of people who were inappropriately admitted / kept alive on machines
    * having discussions around death & dying, looking after families during the process (at least 1-2 per week)
    * leading a team of junior doctors, nurses and other allied health staff, supporting & educating them
    * self learning. Plus lots of bureaucratic crap, mindless paperwork & mandatory stuff that some fatcat dreamt up in an office

    • T1OOO on 11/09/2019 - 19:58

      How much for this privilege?

      • blackorange on 13/09/2019 - 06:26
        +2

        Hospital staff specialists are paid government wages so a first year specialist in NSW is on 170k full time

        • T1OOO on 21/09/2019 - 18:13

          Awwwe man :-(

    • ihbh on 12/09/2019 - 17:58
      +2

      An unsung hero. How did you develop your resilience - focus on the first point?

      • blackorange on 13/09/2019 - 06:32
        +1

        Great question. Helping people get better is the "natural" part of the job as your education & training is focused on that. The other parts are where resilience comes in.

        You need a particular mindset to be able to let go of the "every patient every time" or else you would collapse every time someone dies. I try for "do your best every patient every time", aim to self reflect and group debrief every week so that the deaths can help us grow as a group rather than push us towards burnout. Having other things to offset the stress of the job is also crucial.

        Also I think it helps if you have small-medium disasters early on, it's a kind of stress inoculation to grow confidence and competence. Bureaucrats push us to have specific competency based outcomes so it's easier for them to Rick a box, but the real learning comes from stressful situations.

    • payless69 on 13/09/2019 - 14:05

      hats off. We all are proud of you. Sad to see that bureaucratic waste hinders your valuable work.

      • blackorange on 13/09/2019 - 18:04

        Thank you for the encouragement! Sadly burnout is really common amongst drs and we want to stay well to look after others but it's not easy with all the bureaucracy and paperwork

        • ilove on 23/09/2019 - 07:54

          how much is the pay as 2nd year or 3 rd year as time go on?

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 11/09/2019 - 19:04
    +2

    i would guess 99% of people do the things they dont want and live unspectacular lives & im in that boat; hopefully i can break the golden handcuffs soon and live my life with passion, purpose and joy …. its just statements but hopefully i can reflect back on this post and see where i once was, to where i will be. good luck everyone.

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 11/09/2019 - 19:08
    +1

    Where are all the tradies at?

    • mrwoo on 13/09/2019 - 06:05

      Work! :)

  • AliensStoleMyMoney on 11/09/2019 - 19:27
    +4

    network engineer here.

    get paid very well :)

    the best perk is any cert I go for work pays for and they give me days off to study and the day off for the exam.
    each cert I get increases my wage.

    I wouldn't trade my job for anything, I learn something each day have a great team and get to meet a lot of great people.

    I properly could earn more from another company but I rather be paid less and leave work with a smile each day.

    • jaurwin on 14/09/2019 - 12:00
      +1

      Great to hear that you leave work with a smile everyday. Can I ask what qualifications did you start with?

      Currently working towards a career change here.

      • AliensStoleMyMoney on 14/09/2019 - 12:29

        bachelor only. (networking one)

        started in service desk 3 months later was promoted to junior engineer.

        id advise a CCNA minimum then a palo alto ace (free) and nse 4 as a start.

        then look at checkpoint/sohos

        depends on what the company you work in is maining in.

        otherwise voice training or wireless training (meraki)

        • jaurwin on 14/09/2019 - 15:37

          Thank you for your time responding to this, really appreciated. Currently working towards the first part (Bachelor) and I will look in to taking the side courses in what you have suggested above to expand my knowledge. Thank you for your helpful comment.

    • bazingaa on 15/09/2019 - 09:29

      Mate! How can I get experience on Cisco UC and Palo Alto.. Etc, I have some experience on other vendors but when I apply for a job, they asks for vendor specific experience which I don't have. I tried to look into volunteering but still couldn't find any, Can you please shed me some light :)

  • AlanHB on 11/09/2019 - 19:29

    I'm a lawyer for the government. My days involve a whole bunch of stuff, but at its core it's solving legal problems presented to us by clients, along with progressing larger organisational projects (eg. increasing Privacy compliance) and training junior lawyers.

    Current pay is 130k plus super. I expect to stay on this salary until I gain wider experience. Anticipate next move in about a year.

    However, the job is only there to facilitate my love of music. I love playing guitar and am relatively active on our local scene.

  • sanerr on 11/09/2019 - 19:32
    +3

    I run my own business/self-employed.
    My business is Aquarium Maintenance. I travel all over Sydney looking after fish tanks and ponds in homes and commercial properties.
    I make between $1 and $1million p.a :)

    • ihbh on 12/09/2019 - 18:00

      Have you broken any on the job, and if so, did you manage to save the marine life?

      • sanerr on 12/09/2019 - 18:45

        Only ever had one break while moving it from one house to another, had a 6.5k fish in a box waiting to go back in, was a tense day that one!

  • katykat on 11/09/2019 - 19:45
    +1

    I work in a Court. At it's core my job is two thirds administration and one third customer service. I process/administer things, normally documents, schedules etc… and also try to help "customers" through the process. If you have a stereotypical image about a Court admin or public service worker in an office, that is basically me.

    At my old Court job a huge chunk of my time was dealing with vulnerable people and pseudo-counselling on top of the admin, plus also managing a Judicial Officer. Not sure if I'm going back to it yet. New job can be boring sometimes and not much changes, but it's nice to do some grunt work and it's stable. That's the one really good thing about public service, you can move around and try out new things fora while and as long as it's also in the public service you keep your old job. Go government!

    Earns: 70K

    • krisspy on 11/09/2019 - 23:39

      So you have higher duties system there too? In our agency I got promoted to lower duties since HR and budgets are poorly managed. I'm doing basic high school dropout work for uni graduate pay. I'm not complaining, I read half of reddit all day. Go APS.

  • TheBilly on 11/09/2019 - 20:01
    +1

    Ex B4 auditor here. I quit the industry, now many years later am earning a larger than average salary and benefits in another industry/career.

    What I do or my industry is irrelevant. How I got there was by busting my ass, I started on 30k a year doing 6-7 days work with fulltime study (uni) and young family committments.

    I took on all responsibility that came my way with no complaints so I could learn and suck in knowledge like a sponge. I applied my self to every task. Had nervous breakdowns and burnouts, copped everyones shit from above me but also had many highs along the way. I do enjoy what I do but to this day it is extremely difficult and stressful and I dont love it with a passion, it just allows me to earn a decent wage to do what I love on weekends.

    My industry is not something fancy and creative or some secret unknown job.

    After years of hating B4 audit and feeling "stuck" I underwent a career change and reset my life. I ended up going through the same shit again and I realised its not what you do, its your individual mindset and what you make of it.

    Had I applied myself in the same way for B4 audit, I would be in the same position or better. I just wasted a decade to learn that on a different career.

    Stop trying to get somewhere quick, the world just doesnt work like that, apply yourself with full committment and your doors will open up.

    • happirt on 11/09/2019 - 21:24

      Stop trying to get somewhere quick, the world just doesnt work like that,

      for some people it does

      • TheBilly on 11/09/2019 - 21:57

        for extremely few people it does

    • jace88 on 11/09/2019 - 22:22

      Agreed with this- it's the mindset and both how you view your role, and how others perceive you.

  • tryonthis on 11/09/2019 - 20:32
    +4

    Paramedic with 4 years experience.

    Approx $120k.

    • star-ggg on 12/09/2019 - 10:22

      what are your working hours like?

      • tryonthis on 12/09/2019 - 11:33

        I work 4 on; 5 off. 1 of those shifts is a night shift. Shifts are all 12-hours in length but it's not uncommon for that to drag out to 13-14 hours given the nature of the job. Unfortunately, working in metro Sydney, it's uncommon to get your entitled 2x meal breaks given how busy it is. Each 'missed break' is an additional ~$30 penalty… so it definitely adds up by the end of the year!

        • GOB on 12/09/2019 - 17:03
          +1

          You deserve it, paramedics are heroes.

    • Koalabeer on 12/09/2019 - 12:32

      Wow that's good $$$

  • koplik8 on 11/09/2019 - 20:36
    +4

    I was a Sales Rep for a long time. Loved cruising around and meeting new people. Four years ago I got into the Police Communications Centre. I’m a radio dispatcher. I can take 000 and 131444 calls. Best move I ever made! I work 4 on 4 off. All 12 hour shifts. I get 7 weeks holidays a year. The way it falls on the roster it worked out to 12 weeks off this year. I take holidays every 3 months. I made over $90k last year. Not too bad for 9 months worth of work!

  • [Deactivated] on 11/09/2019 - 21:25
    +8

    Honestly and without trying to sound too harsh, you are in a position of privilege being a local in a big 4. Everyone knows it’s a transit lounge to a move into commercial accounting or consulting, and you’re surrounded by a network of successful peers who are career minded and probably spend most of their time talking about this already. Do you really need additional validation from a bargain forum?

  • PAPower on 11/09/2019 - 22:15

    I call my self an accountant even though I'm not CPA/CA qualified nor majored in accounting.
    I wear many hats at a small business (all accounting, FP&A, internal audit, compliance, operations, system maintenance, marketing, staff training etc.) and responsible for many critical business decisions. The only thing I don't do is to lodge GST and income tax.
    My boss call me business analyst but doesn't pay me anything near it. My pay is modest (still better than public practice) and I have incentives based on business profit.

    I started CPA but not sure the current position could really help me to learn all what a CPA needs?
    I'd like to explore other opportunities but don't want to give up the incentives here.

    Any advice would be much appreciated!

    • Homr on 11/09/2019 - 22:27

      How much u get paid?

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